


Call Her Ginger

by fortunatelykeendetective



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, James Sholto - Freeform, John Watson in Afghanistan, John and Sherlock Never Meet, M/M, Married Couple, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Not much plot, Soft James Sholto, Soft John Watson, They are both soft, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:31:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunatelykeendetective/pseuds/fortunatelykeendetective
Summary: John Watson and James Sholto are in Afghanistan together and Things Happen Quickly.





	Call Her Ginger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vanetti (lereya)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lereya/gifts).



> Happy birthday to my friend Vanetti. This isn't beta-ed or Britpicked, so please feel free to make suggestions for correction.

January 2010

The kitten, small enough to fit in half of James’ hand, mews plaintively in search of warmth and sustenance. January in Kandahar is not kind to any living creature, but it is markedly cruel to the very young of every species. Tenderly as though stroking a rose petal, James offers his fingers to the tiny creature to sniff, and once satisfied that that the kitten knows she’ll come to no harm under James’ ministrations, allows James to pluck her from the Afghan soil the troops semi-affectionately called moondust for its fineness and ability to creep into every known crevice of the human body.

“There you are, little lovie,” James whispers while scratching her head, “looks as though you’ve had quite a go of things lately, haven’t you? Come on, let’s get you warmed up and I’ll scrounge up something for you to eat.” The kitten continues to mewl but allows herself to be tucked inside James’ field uniform and carried close to his heart.

John Watson has come to the major’s tent to discuss personnel and equipment matters and is wholly unprepared for the sight of James Sholto cooing into the ear of a weeks-old kitten no bigger than a can of Coke. His heart drops to his feet and ricochets up. _Goddamnit_ , _now is neither the time nor the place_. _You’re here on business, Watson._

Seeing Watson loitering at the tent entrance, Sholto stops short. “Captain.”

“I- I- I see you’ve acquired a friend, Sir,” stammers Watson.

“I found the poor thing wandering about cold and alone and hadn’t the heart to leave her as she was,” came the reply. “Contrary to popular belief, I do have a heart, Watson. I’ll think of her as a good omen. Maybe we’ll all make it home in one piece. What name should I give her?”

Watson clears his throat and sputters some more, for if he was unprepared to see James _– Major Sholto, for fuck’s sake, Watson_ – fawning over an infant kitten, he is even less ready to talk about what to name her.

“Ah, well -, I-…..what about Ginger?” _If you only knew that that’s what I call you in my dreams._

“Watson, not only are you an excellent trauma surgeon, your feline christening skills are second to none. Ginger shall she be called henceforth. Care for some tea?”

“Yes, Sir, thank you,” replies Watson, grateful to be back in familiar conversational territory.

After several minutes of talk about requisitioning gear and a few minor personnel issues within the command, all of which are easily resolved, John rises to take his leave.

“Watson. Stay.”

All the cosmic tumblers click into place and feelings that each imagines go unreciprocated become apparent, as much by the dilated pupils as by any words spoken. James is careful to lay Ginger in a repurposed Mk 6 helmet that he’s clandestinely kept from a few years back before stepping closer to John and caressing his shoulder.

 “Major, um….”

“It’s just us. Call me James.” Sholto’s eyes, John notices, are as kind as they are exquisite.

“Alright….James. I make my living assessing other human beings, and I’m not usually wrong. If my assessment skills are worth a tinker’s damn, I’m going to diagnose you as fucking gorgeous.”

“You’ve missed one critical element, Captain. I believe I am also” – gesturing toward his cock – “in need of medical attention.”

Pulling James toward him and wrapping one arm around James’ waist, John replies, “And I believe” – sucking gently on James’ clavicle – “I am your doctor.”

 

********************  
June 2014

James and John awaken, a tangle of limbs and morning breath, to find Ginger at the foot of their bed staring icily at both men and refusing to be petted. James glances at his phone. “No wonder she’s being such an arsehole. It’s eight, and we both know Princess Ginger of Kandahar consumes her morning victuals no later than seven o'clock each morning.”

John cackles and trails wet kisses from James’ neck down. “If it hadn’t” – kiss – “been for your insistence” – kiss – “upon being shagged senseless” – kiss – “three times last night” – kiss – “we might have been” – kiss – “up in time to feed her” – kiss – “husband mine.” Stopping just at James’ ticklish belly button, John continues, “And the sooner you feed this damn cat the sooner I can continue to make you a very happy man on our first wedding anniversary, James Henry William Sholto.”

“That sounds like a threat,” snickers James, rising from bed to deal with the insistent treasured transplant feline they’ve come to regard as a symbol of the wretched war that tried and failed to rip them apart.

John winks, gazing at the husband he almost didn’t find and the love he will cherish forever. “My love, do us both a favour and think of it as a promise.”

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write Jolto as a gift to my friend and was struggling to come up with a plot - any plot - to start with. I watched my daughter pretend to be a kitten and voila!


End file.
